Minnesota Arboretum

Visit Minnesota Arboretum to see dozens of specialty gardens with a great diversity of plant collection.

The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is a beautiful treasure and one of the main attractions in the twin cities. It is located at 3675 Arboretum Drive in Chaska, Minnesota and comprises dozens of specialty gardens with great diversity of plant collections.

It also has several natural areas to walk and enjoy plus itís open to the public every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas.

There is a Maze Garden that is extremely intriguing especially to the younger visitors but also great for adults to explore as well. Within the Arboretum is an Art center called the Oswald Visitor Center, it has a great art gallery, gift store and nice restaurant to wine and dine the whole family. The Minnesota Arboretum is open year round and has a variety of exhibitions and events depending on the time of the year and the weather. Itís a fitting tradition since itís a celebration of natureís best.

Some of the events visitors can enjoy include the Autumn Unplugged, where a display of interesting scarecrows and decorated trees are. The landscapes themselves and features of live music to entertain the crowds.

During winter, the main attractions include display of the outdoors, winter hiking trails, snow shoeing and skiing. They also have an art Gallery and photo exhibitions indoors for those who don't want to brave the winter weather. When spring and summer arrives, the flower gardens blossom and there are various new plants and flowers that sprout with beautiful color and enticing smell that tickles the senses.

The arboretum also includes a horticultural library and zoo / conservatory. The Library has 15,000 books covering botany, horticulture, natural history, children's literature and horticultural research materials. The zoo / conservatory is close by for encounters with various animals and plants usually found in the wild.

So next time you are in the twin cities area, do forget to check out all the Minnesota Arboretum has to offer, it is sure to be one of the highlights of you trip. For more information, visit their website at http://www.arboretum.umn.edu/.